Ralph and Jemima
by Varyssa
Summary: The life story of my favouritest twins! From the day Burroughs found them to the day they died...again. Please review! chap 2 up! x
1. The Battle

A/N – I actually tuned out of LOK long enough to realize there are not enough fics on my fav twins in the whole wide world…so I thought I'd help. Reviews are always appreciated x

Chapter 1 – The Battle

"Jemima wait!" a voice rang out, through the forest. "Jemima!"

"What?!" Jemima laughed and turned to her brother. She squinted through the trees and saw she had long left her brother behind. He struggled to dodge through the trees as gracefully as she had and it made her laugh to see him try. Eventually he slipped and went down, vanishing into the greenery. Jemima burst into peals of laughter when she saw him fall, she clutched her stomach, trying to ease the pain of her hysterics. She wiped back a happy tear when she realized Ralph hadn't risen. She could just make out the top of his head, amongst the damp, green leaves. He lay, motionless on the forest floor.

"Ralph?" Jemima called to him. Still nothing, "Ralph?!" she cried, urgently. She ran towards her fallen twin, "Ralph! Ralph!" she tried to stay calm, she tried to control her fears. She collapsed next to her brother, shaking his shoulders, turning him over so the mesh of damp grass and flowers no longer suffocated his dirty, smeared face.

"Ralph," Jemima cried, still shaking her brother, in a vain attempt to wake him. Tears started streaming down her face, "Ralph, please!" she begged.

A smile spread across her twin's lips and he snapped open his eyes, "Boo!" he shouted. Jemima yelped in fright and jumped backwards, dropping her brother against the soft grass.

"Ralph!" she shouted, indignant, giving her laughing brother a harsh kick, "You big meanie!" she shouted, kicking him again.

"Ow!" Ralph protested, pushing himself up on his elbows and blowing some of his long, dark fringe out of his face. "Serves you right for running off," he told her, in his authoritative, 'it-may-only-be-a-couple-of-minutes-older-but-I'm-still-older-than-you' tone.

Jemima folded her arms and sulked against the tree, poking her tongue out at her twin. Ralph smirked and moved towards her, "I'm sorry, Jemima," he mocked. He slid two fingers into the mud around him, "I'm sorry," he repeated, at the same time he ran his muddy fingers down her cheek, leaving a trail of dirt behind.

"Ralph!" she screeched, snatching at her brother. He laughed and ducked, pushing himself up and running away from his sister. She immediately gave chase and they both ran through the forest, laughing as the sister tried to catch the brother.

Jemima ducked a branch, they were nearing the edge of the forest, she recognised it. She could see her brother, quite a distance ahead, he had already left the forest. Jemima ducked the last low, thick branches and expected to see her brother running across the wide, open field that lay there.

Ralph however had stopped abruptly, his eyes fixed in a dawning horror at the sight before him. Jemima emerged a few feet away from him, she too froze when she saw it.

A battle.

Hundreds of men, all engaged in a bloody fight to the death. Bodies littered the ground everywhere and the lush, green grass was being dyed with pools of blood.

They were close. Ralph ran to Jemima's side and pulled her against him as they appreciated just how close they were to the fray, the stench of blood was heavy on the air. "Ralph," Jemima whimpered, burying her face into his shoulder. The child did his best to comfort his sister, even though he was terrified himself.

"Jemima!" Ralph pulled her to the side as a body fell in between them, a small axe embedded in his skull. The twins looked at the body then up at the warrior who approached to reclaim his axe. The man's eyes rested on the children in a mixture of confusion and concern before he too was killed. The price he paid for not paying attention.

Jemima screamed as the body hit the ground before them, his fountain of blood spraying onto them both, "Jemima!" Ralph screamed as his sister took off in total panic.

Jemima weaved in and out of the sparring bodies. She had to get away from them all. She tripped over an injured soldier and came crashing to the ground.

She looked back, the soldier had been stabbed in the chest, but he was not dead. He clutched onto her leg, pulling her back towards him, while his injured throat coughed out words she couldn't distinguish. Flecks of blood sprayed from his mouth onto her dirty cheeks as she kicked and screamed, trying to free herself from the injured man's harsh grip.

"Let her go!" Ralph roared, running to her side, trying to free his sister. Still the man wouldn't relent his grip. Coughing and crying out to them, but they didn't hear. Ralph absent mindedly picked up the blade that had fallen beside them. He examined it for just a second before he took aim and thrust it deep into the man's chest, piercing his heart, allowing him to release his grip at last.

The twins watched in a mixture of horror and amazement as the man coughed up more blood, his eyes, wide and urgent flickered and the pain behind them vanished. He died looking right up at the female twin, his hand still holding onto her ankle.

"Ralph," Jemima murmured gratefully, nuzzling her brother, gently. Ralph pulled the small sword from the body and looked, curiously at the red substance that dripped from it.

"Ralph, let's go," Jemima pleaded, pulling her brother up with her. He dropped the sword and nodded, returning his attentions back to his sister.

The fighting around them had lessened and more bodies carpeted the grass. "Victory!" a shout went up amongst the surviving soldiers, "Victory for Lord Burroughs!"

Ralph and Jemima ignored the shouts, trying to slip unnoticed through the mass of cheering soldiers. Someone did notice them. Someone had watched them kill the already dying man and someone had seen the glint of satisfaction and amusement in their eyes when they had done so.

The regal man sitting on his horse pointed out the twins as they snaked through the soldiers. Some of the men looked down and saw the children, obeying their master they picked up them up and carried them, over to their lord.

"No put us down!" Ralph cried, hitting and kicking the man who was carrying him. Not far away he could hear his sister doing the same. Eventually they were both dropped before the man on the horse. Both twins gazed up at him, he was gazing back, the victory blazing in his eyes and a twisted smile across his lips.

TBC


	2. So it Begins

R/R – The Terrapin – Oh…no I didn't know that it was Burroughs who gave them their names…slight oversight on my part…bugger. Oh well, thank you for the tip and of course thank you so much for your review! Funny I've read a few of your fics…but I kinda forgot to review them…Your Eddy fic was great!!! Luv x

Graphic violence contained herein, you have been warned!

Chapter 2 – So it Begins

Lord Burroughs took the twins in. He took them back to his castle where they were received as family. The castle was truly unique. It was practically divided in two, both sides a mirror image of eachother, in layout at least. The left side of the castle housed the lesser chambers, whereas the right held the library, the main chambers, the chambers of Lord Burroughs and his family included. But the piece de resistance came in the form of the breathtaking clocktower that lay in the centre of the mansion's entrance hall and worked it's way up. Upon their entry, both twins ran to the foot of the staircase and looked up, feeling giddy and light-headed from the sheer height and magnificence.

Both Ralph and Jemima were in awe of the lord and his mansion. Their happiness increased when they found they were to stay in the castle with their new lord and his family; his beautiful wife Natalya and his lovely daughter Annabel.

When Annabel was introduced to them, there was an immediate connection. She was slightly younger than the twins, she had bushy, brown hair that fell around her porcelain face. She wore only the finest garments, usually of light colours that contrasted perfectly with her emerald eyes. She was a lively child and so generous and kind. When they first met she felt no resentment toward them or her father for taking more children in, jealousy had no place within the selfless and pure child, and Ralph and Jemima loved her all the more for it.

The castle was never empty, the house was frequented with various guests, visitors and of course the mansion was full of servants. It was quite a change for the twins to one day be begging upon peoples' doorsteps, trying to survive on whatever scraps they could find to being waited on hand and foot the next. If they wanted or needed anything then a servant would always be there to grant their every wish. At first it was quite an experience and quite a change, living in the mansion of the lord of the area, but after a few days with Burroughs and his family, Ralph and Jemima felt as though they had been there their whole lives. It was clear that Burroughs expected and wanted nothing in return for his gracious hospitality, but after just a few moments in the castle in the care of their lord, both Ralph and Jemima made it perfectly clear that they would willingly do absolutely anything for their lord. Of course lady Natalya insisted that they would never have to do anything in return, though she didn't really know why her husband should suddenly decide to bring two beggars into their castle. She assumed it was because of their age and children should be enjoying their childhood, not struggling to survive. It didn't bother her, though, the not knowing. She grew to love Ralph and Jemima as her own and she was happy for her daughter to have friends her own age to play with.

It was a few months after Ralph and Jemima had been brought in when Burroughs came to them. He took the twins down into the castle dungeons, after they swore not to reveal what they saw to anyone, not even Lady Natalya and Annabel.

Ralph held his sister's hand tightly as they descended a staircase into a large, stone chamber. Men were chained up, a dozen or more all chained to the wall, bloody and bruised. They wore what looked like the remnants of purple tunics, no doubt the survivors of Burrough's opposition from the battle months before. The twins recognised the prisoners' attire that of the man that Ralph had killed in defence of his beloved sister.

Burroughs ushered the children in front of him so that they may see the chamber better. A servant whom the twins had seen infrequently about the mansion, appeared to be waiting for them. He sat casually on the stone table in the centre of the chamber, seemingly undisturbed by the mass of blood stains that streaked the table and indeed the rest of the chamber.

Burroughs gave the servant a nod and the man began untying one of the prisoners, harshly dragging him to the centre and forcing him to lie upon the stone tablet. Once the prisoner had been tied down, Burroughs urged the twins forward. They stepped to the side of the table, their hands still locked in eachothers as they watched, enthralled at the display before them.

"This is what happens to those who disrupt our peaceful land. To those who dare to rise up against me," Burroughs snarled as the servant revealed an impressive array of weapons and tools, most of which, like the chamber were smeared in blood.

The servant selected a blade, a small dagger and with a slight smile on his face, he sliced through the skin of the victim's arm. The man screamed in pain and under it, a distinct chuckle from the lord could be heard. The servant took his time, cutting and slicing the flesh, randomly yet with a distinct art to it, revelling in the screams that came from the unfortunate prisoner.

Ralph and Jemima watched, enthralled. Their eyes wide and excited and their mouths slightly parted as they watched this scene of torture and violence play out. They were hypnotised by the way the knife sliced so easily through the skin, like it were paper, and the way the blood sprayed out after it, like a fountain. The screams of the victim and the shouts of protest from his comrades rang through the chamber making the scene all the more exhilarating to watch.

Burroughs held up a hand, pausing the servant, as he sunk to one knee, his face coming between the twins. "Would you like a go, Ralph?" he asked, sweetly and encouragingly. Ralph hesitated, looking up at his sister before looking back at the poor man stretched out on the table. Without looking at her, Ralph released his sister's hand and stepped up to the table. The victim looked up at him, his eyes wide and begging to be released. The same eyes that the man on the battlefield had looked at him with. The man who had grabbed his sister…Ralph took the dagger without even being offered it and set to work cutting through the skin, feeling the blood spray lightly onto his face with each stroke of the blade. The man had grabbed his sister, the man had frightened her, he had to protect Jemima. The thoughts ran through the boy's mind as he once again felt the exhilaration that came with the flick of the knife.

He was lost in his work. He was felt utterly caught in the moment, not caring for the events or occurrences around him. The voices and screams faded to background noise as Ralph began his art of killing. He raised the knife to cut again, when a hand stopped him. Ralph looked up to see his sister holding his hand, stopping him from doing anymore damage, though the victim lay, almost dead. His skin looked pale and gaunt, as he lay on the stone with his blood splashing into puddles on the floor, seeping across the stone, staining Ralph and Jemima's slippers. Ralph, stopped, expecting his sister to be disturbed by what she had just witnessed, waiting for her to scream at him and abhor him as a monster. But the shouts never came.

Instead Jemima took the dagger from her brother's hands and muttered, softly, "I want a go."

TBC


End file.
